THE STUDS:
1. Mario Williams – Williams was constantly in the face of Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson until he left the game due to a concussion in the second half. Williams’ relentless pursuit of Wilson yielded a sack, a QB hit, several hurries, and he forced a bad pass that led to an Isa Abdul-Quddus interception. Just as important, Williams’ sack came on a third-and-nine from the Miami 16-yard line, forcing the Seahawks to settle for a field goal to open the scoring.
2. Isa Abdul-Quddus – Abdul-Duddus’ interception of a Russell Wilson pass, and his subsequent 9-yard return, helped set up an Andrew Franks 41-yard field goal to tie the game at 3-3 early in the second quarter. Adul-Quddus also knocked down another pass and made three solo tackles.
3. Ndamukong Suh – While Suh’s performance wasn’t quite as flashy as Williams’, it was every bit as dominating. He registered a sack, which left Russell Wilson hobbled, three QB hits, two solo tackles, and a batted pass.
4. Matt Darr – While Darr’s inclusion here may surprise some, his 46.7 yard average on seven punts was instrumental in winning the field position battle and keeping the game close.
5. Arian Foster (as a receiver) – Foster caught three passes on five targets out of the backfield for 62 yards, including a terrific 50-yard catch and run that left Kam Chancellor grasping for nothing but air.
THE DUDS:
1. Kenny Stills – To put it simply, Stills cost Miami the game and a share of first place in the AFC East by dropping a sure touchdown from
Ryan Tannehill despite beating the defense by a good 8 yards. Beyond that, he caught just one of five passes thrown his way and was generally ineffective against the Legion of Boom.
2. Andrew Franks – Like Stills, Franks failed when the Dolphins needed him most, missing on a partially blocked 27-yard field goal attempt that would have changed the complexion of the game.
3. Branden Albert – Tannehill was sacked five times. Two of those were given up by Albert. The veteran tackle was beaten on the first sack by exactly the same stunt that left him in the dust during the preseason opener against the Giants, while he was completely bull rushed on the second QB takedown.
4. Arian Foster (as a runner) – Foster managed just 38 yards on 13 carries for 2.9 yards per carry, and he failed to convert a crucial fourth-and-inches on the Seattle 17 during the opening quarter. Worse still, he became increasingly ineffective as the game wore on. Foster ran for 28 yards in the first half on seven carries, for a 4.0 average. Yet, he racked up only 10 yards on six second-half carries for a paltry 1.6 yards per run.
Final Grades
Quarterback: B- Came through in the clutch and guided the offense to three other scoring opportunities that came up short due to a dropped pass, a missed FG, and a failed fourth down run.
Running Backs: C Foster had a terrific 50 yard catch and run, but he faded as the game went on and failed to convert on a fourth-and-inches.
Receivers: D Stills dropped an easy TD and Landry was generally ineffective.
Offensive Line: C- Gave up five sacks and run blocking needs improvement.
Defensive Line: B+ Provided relentless pressure on Wilson and racked up 3 sacks.
Linebackers: B Tackling looked much improved as they held the Seahawks to 3.5 yards per carry and kept Wilson from scrambling for huge gains.
Defensive Backs: B Picked off Wilson and held him to an acceptable 77.5 QB rating.
Special Teams: B Darr punted well and Grant averaged 33.5 yards per kickoff return, including a 45 yarder he nearly broke, but Franks had a chip shot FG blocked.
Coaching: B- Gase did an excellent job of preparing the team to play under very difficult circumstances, but opting to go for it on the failed fourth-and-inches instead of taking the field goal was questionable. Vance Joseph’s defense looked terrific overall.
